Former Cop Accused Of Stealing From A Dead Man

Former Niles police officer William Christie was charged with stealing $1,700 from a man he found dead in his YMCA room, according to the Chicago Tribune.

He has been charged with theft and official misconduct, held on $50,000 bond.

According to official reports cited by the Tribune, Christie had responded to a call that a man was dead at the Niles YMCA facility last November. He sealed the room, told YMCA staff that no one was allowed in the room and made several attempts to enter the room, according to the authorities.

The article states that YMCA staff became suspicious and called Niles police, who secretly videotaped Christie allegedly loading the deceased man's cash and coins into a cardboard box. Financial records show that Christie deposited more than $500 worth of coins at his credit union, according to reports cited by the Tribune.

According to reporters, prosecutors say he contacted the man's only living relative, his sister, right after the theft and offered to clean out his room. Then he allegedly sent her $274 along with a note saying that nothing else was recovered.

Christie resigned from the force on Nov. 30, a mere five hours before Niles' board of commissioners had planned to discuss whether or not to fire him, according to the article. He was a 27-year Niles police veteran, according to an article by the Chicago Sun-Times.

According to FindLaw's LawBrain, police misconduct and corruption are abuses of police authority. Sometimes used interchangeably, the terms refer to a wide range of procedural, criminal, and civil violations.